MRSA CLEAR

In this NIAID-funded project we are sequencing a large sample of MRSA strains from an ongoing clinical trial (Project CLEAR – Changing Lives by Eradicating Antibiotic Resistance) of recently hospitalized patients who harbor MRSA, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. In this trial, participants are randomized to post-discharge MRSA education vs education plus serial decolonization. Participants undergo swabbing of nares, throat, wound, and skin at enrollment (discharge), with repeated swabs at follow up visits occurring 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 9 months from enrollment. Project CLEAR compares strategies to reduce the risk of MRSA infection and re-hospitalization in MRSA carriers in order to provide critical answers about the role of decolonization versus standard-of-care education in preventing MRSA infections in the large group of high risk MRSA+ patients being discharged from hospitals. Findings could potentially impact best practice for the 1.8 million MRSA carriers who are discharged from US hospitals each year.